Electronic device including cooling function and controlling method thereof

ABSTRACT

According to various embodiments an electronic device may include a first housing comprising a hollow portion configured to receive an external electronic device, and a second housing disposed at an angle defined by a portion coupled with at least part of the hollow portion. The second housing may include a first cover facing at least part of the hollow portion and comprising a plurality of first openings, a second cover received in the first cover and comprising a plurality of second openings, and an electric fan motor disposed in a space between the first cover and the second cover, the electric fan motor configured to discharge at least part of intake air from at least some of the first openings to at least some of the second openings.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0039427, filed on Mar. 28,2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device having a coolingfunction which cools an external electronic device, and a controllingmethod thereof.

BACKGROUND

A portable electronic device is an assembly of electronic devicecomponents and can perform various functions. For example, in additionto a basic communication function, various voice services (e.g., voicerecognition function) based on voice recognition technology aredeveloped and released. Various life services such as mobile search,schedule management, call, memo, video play, and music play are providedbased on user's voice commands.

The portable electronic device can rest on a separate stationaryelectronic device, and charge its internal battery through a connectorof the stationary electronic device by wire or wirelessly. According toan embodiment, the portable electronic device may perform datacommunication via the stationary electronic device which is connected toan external electronic device. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device resting on the stationary electronic device canperform the above-stated various multimedia functions while charging itsinternal battery or exchanging data with the external electronic device.According to an embodiment, the portable electronic device can rest onthe stationary electronic device at a level with a bottom surface or ata specific angle based on the bottom surface.

Recent stationary electronic devices provide not only the chargingfunction or the data exchange function of the portable electronic devicebut also various functions for improving performance of the restingportable electronic device.

The portable electronic device can rest on the stationary electronicdevice for the sake of the charging or the data exchange. The portableelectronic device can produce heat during the charging or the dataexchange, and continuous high heat can degrade performance of theportable electronic device. Moreover, the portable electronic deviceresting on the stationary electronic device can concurrently executeanother function (e.g., video play, sound play, web searching, etc.)during the charging or the data exchange, which can further aggravatethe heat of the electronic device.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments provide an electronic device having a coolingfunction which can effectively dissipate heat generating from a restingelectronic device, and a controlling method thereof.

Various embodiments provide an electronic device having a coolingfunction which can effectively control a cooling level based on a heattemperature of the electronic device, and a controlling method thereof.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include afirst housing including a hollow portion configured to receive anexternal electronic device, and a second housing disposed at an angledefined by a portion coupled with at least part of the hollow portion.The second housing may include a first cover facing at least part of thehollow portion and including a plurality of first openings, a secondcover received in the first cover and including a plurality of secondopenings, and an electric fan motor disposed in a space between thefirst cover and the second cover, and the electric fan configured todischarge at least part of intake air from at least some of the firstopenings to at least some of the second openings.

According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include afirst housing including a plurality of first openings, a second coverreceived in a first cover and including a plurality of second openings,an electric fan motor disposed in a space between the first cover andthe second cover, and configured to discharge at least part of intakeair from at least some of the first openings to at least some of thesecond openings, a wireless charging circuit disposed between theelectric fan motor and the second cover, and a control circuit. Thecontrol circuit may be configured to detect the external electronicdevice which is disposed to face the second cover, using the wirelesscharging circuit, and when wirelessly charging the external electronicdevice using the wireless charging circuit, to discharge at least partof the intake air to the wireless charging circuit and the externalelectronic device using the electric fan motor.

According to various embodiments, a method for operating an electronicdevice may include detecting whether the electronic device rests in anexternal electronic device having a cooling function, detecting whetherthe electronic device is functionally connected to the externalelectronic device having the cooling function when detecting theresting, monitoring a temperature of the electronic device whendetecting the connection, generating a control command corresponding tothe monitored temperature, and sending the generated control command tothe external electronic device having the cooling function.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example network environmentincluding an external electronic device according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example external electronicdevice according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an external electronic device restingon an electronic device having a cooling function according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views illustrating a front side and aback side, respectively, of an external electronic device according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are diagrams illustrating an example electronicdevice having a cooling function according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6A is an exploded view illustrating a second housing of anelectronic device having a cooling function according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the second housing of FIG. 6A,which is assembled, according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams illustrating an example of air flowdischarged through an electronic device having a cooling functionaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating an example structure forcontrolling a discharged air direction in an electronic device having acooling function according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of controllingoperations between an external electronic device and an electronicdevice having a cooling function according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating anelectronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in greaterdetail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similarreference numerals may be used to refer to similar elements. In thefollowing disclosure, specific details such as detailed configurationand components are merely provided to aid in the overall understandingof these example embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, itshould be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications of the embodiments described herein can be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Forexample, those skilled in the art will understand that the principles ofthe present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arrangedelectronic device.

In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions maybe omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to their dictionary meanings, but are used to convey a clear andconsistent understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, itshould be apparent to those skilled in the art that the followingdescription of embodiments of the present disclosure is provided forillustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting thepresent disclosure, as defined by the appended claims and theirequivalents.

Singular terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referencesunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, “acomponent surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

Herein, terms such as “have,” “may have,” “include,” and “may include”refer to the presence of corresponding features (e.g., elements such asnumerical values, functions, operations, or parts), but do not precludethe presence of additional features.

The terms “A or B,” “at least one of A or/and B,” and “one or more of Aor/and B” include all possible combinations of the enumerated items. Forexample, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A orB” means (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one Aand at least one B.

Numerical terms, such as “first” and “second”, may be used to identifyvarious elements regardless of an order and/or importance of theelements, and do not limit the elements. These terms may be used for thepurpose of distinguishing one element from another element. For example,a first user device and a second user device may indicate different userdevices, regardless of the order or importance the devices. Accordingly,a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, asecond element may be referred to as a first element, without departingfrom the scope the present disclosure.

When an element (e.g., a first element) is “(operatively orcommunicatively) coupled with/to” or “connected to” another element(e.g., a second element), the first element may be directly “coupledwith/to” the second element, or there may be an intervening element(e.g., a third element) between the first element and the secondelement. However, when the first element is “directly coupled with/to”or “directly connected to” the second element, there is no interveningelement therebetween.

Herein, the term “module” may refer, for example, to a unit includingone of hardware, software, and firmware, or any combination thereof. Theterm “module” may be interchangeably used with terms, such as unit,logic, logical block, component, and circuit. A module may be a minimumunit of an integrally constituted component or may be a part thereof. Amodule may be a minimum unit for performing one or more functions or maybe a part thereof. A module may be mechanically or electricallyimplemented. For example, a module may include, without limitation, atleast one of a dedicated processor, a central processing unit (CPU), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), and a programmable-logic device,or the like, which are known or will be developed and which performcertain operations.

All of the terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms,have the same meanings as those generally understood by a person havingordinary skill in the related art unless they are defined otherwise.Terms defined in a generally used dictionary should be interpreted ashaving the same or similar meanings as the contextual meanings of therelevant technology and should not be interpreted as having ideal orexaggerated meanings unless clearly defined as such herein. Even whereterms are defined in the disclosure, the terms should not be interpretedas excluding embodiments of the present disclosure.

Example electronic devices may include smart phones, tablet personalcomputers (PCs), mobile phones, video telephones, electronic bookreaders, desktop PCs, laptop PCs, netbook computers, workstations,servers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players(PMPs), motion picture experts group (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2) audio layer 3(MP3) players, mobile medical devices, cameras, and/or wearable devices,or the like, but are not limited thereto. For example, the wearabledevices may include accessory-type wearable devices (e.g., watches,rings, bracelets, anklets, necklaces, glasses, contact lenses, orhead-mounted-devices (HMDs)), fabric or clothing integral wearabledevices (e.g., electronic clothes), body-mounted wearable devices (e.g.,skin pads or tattoos), and/or implantable wearable devices (e.g.,implantable circuits), or the like, but are not limited thereto.

The electronic devices may include smart home appliances, such astelevisions (TVs), digital versatile disk (DVD) players, audio players,refrigerators, air conditioners, cleaners, ovens, microwave ovens,washing machines, air cleaners, set-top boxes, home automation controlpanels, security control panels, TV boxes (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™,Apple TV™, or Google TV™), game consoles (e.g., Xbox™ and PlayStation™),electronic dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders, and/or electronicpicture frames, or the like, but are not limited thereto.

The electronic devices may include a medical device, such as a portablemedical measurement device (e.g., a blood glucose meter, a heart ratemonitor, a blood pressure monitor, or a thermometer), a magneticresonance angiography (MRA) device, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)device, a computed tomography (CT) device, a scanner, an ultrasonicdevice, a navigation device, a GPS receiver, an event data recorder(EDR), a flight data recorder (FUR), a vehicle infotainment device,electronic equipment for a vessel (e.g., navigation systems,gyrocompasses, etc.), an avionic device, a security device, a head unitfor a vehicle, an industrial or home robot, an automatic teller machine(ATM), a point of sale (POS) device, and/or an Internet of Things (IoT)device (e.g., a light bulb, sensor, electric or gas meter, sprinklerdevice, fire alarm, thermostat, street lamp, toaster, exerciseequipment, hot water tank, heater, or boiler), or the like, but are notlimited thereto.

The electronic device may also include a part of furniture orbuilding/structure, electronic board, electronic signature receivingdevice, projector, or measuring instrument (e.g., water meter,electricity meter, gas meter, or wave meter), or the like, but is notlimited thereto.

The electronic device may be a flexible electronic device.

The electronic device may be a combination of the above-describeddevices.

Additionally, the electronic device of the present disclosure is notlimited to the above-described devices, and may include a new electronicdevice according to the development of new technologies.

Herein, the term “user” may refer to a person who uses an electronicdevice or may refer to a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence (AI)electronic device) which uses an electronic device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example network environmentincluding an electronic device, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the network environment includes an electronicdevice 101, which includes a bus 110, a processor (e.g., includingprocessing circuitry) 120, a memory 130, an input/output interface(e.g., including input/output circuitry) 150, a display 160, and acommunication interface (e.g., including communication circuitry) 170.Alternatively, the electronic device 101 may omit at least one of theillustrated components and/or include additional components.

The bus 110 is a circuit for connecting the components 120 through 170and delivering communications such as a control message therebetween.

The processor 120 may include various processing circuitry, such as, forexample, and without limitation, at least one of a dedicated processor,a CPU, an application processor (AP), and/or a communication processor(CP), or the like. The processor 120 processes an operation or data oncontrol of and/or communication with another component of the electronicdevice 101.

The processor 120 may also include a microprocessor or any suitable typeof processing circuitry, such as one or more general-purpose processors(e.g., ARM-based processors), a digital signal processor (DSP), aprogrammable logic device (PLD), an ASIC, a field-programmable gatearray (FPGA), a graphical processing unit (GPU), a video cardcontroller, etc. In addition, when a general purpose computer accessescode for implementing the processing shown herein, the execution of thecode transforms the general purpose computer into a special purposecomputer for executing the processing shown herein.

The processor 120, which can be connected to an LTE network, maydetermine whether a call is connected over a circuit switched (CS)service network using caller identification information, such as acaller phone number of the CS service network, e.g., a 2G or a 3rdgeneration (3G) network. For example, the processor 120 receivesincoming call information, such as a CS notification message or a pagingrequest message of the CS service network over the LTE network, such ascircuit-switched fallback (CSFB). The processor 120 being connected tothe LTE network receives incoming call information, such as a pagingrequest message over the CS service network, such as single radio LTE(SRLTE).

When receiving an incoming CS notification message or a paging requestmessage of the CS service network over the LTE network, the processor120 may obtain caller identification information from the incoming callinformation. The processor 120 may display the caller identificationinformation on the display 160. The processor 120 may determine whetherto connect the call based on input information corresponding to thecaller identification information displayed on the display 160. Forexample, when detecting input information corresponding to an incomingcall rejection, through the input/output interface 150, the processor120 may restrict the voice call connection and maintain the LTE networkconnection. When detecting input information corresponding to anincoming call acceptance, through the input/output interface 150, theprocessor 120 may connect the voice call by connecting to the CS servicenetwork.

When receiving the incoming CS notification message or a paging requestmessage of the CS service network over the LTE network, the processor120 may obtain caller identification information from the incoming callinformation. The processor 120 may determine whether to connect the callby comparing the caller identification information with a receptioncontrol list. For example, when the caller identification information isincluded in a first reception control list, such as a blacklist, theprocessor 120 may restrict the voice call connection and maintain theconnection to the LTE network. When the caller identificationinformation is not included in the blacklist, the processor 120 mayconnect the voice call by connecting to the CS service network. When thecaller identification information is included in a second receptioncontrol list, such as a white list, the processor 120 may connect thevoice call by connecting to the CS service network.

When receiving the incoming call information, such as a paging requestmessage of the CS service network over the LTE network, the processor120 may send an incoming call response message, such as a pagingresponse message, to the CS service network. The processor 120 maysuspend the LTE service and receive the caller identificationinformation, such as a circuit-switched call (CC) setup message, fromthe CS service network. The processor 120 may determine whether toconnect the call by comparing the caller identification information withthe reception control list. For example, when the caller identificationinformation is included in the blacklist, the processor 120 restrictsthe voice call connection and resumes the LTE network connection. Whenthe caller identification information is not included in the theblacklist, the processor 120 may connect the voice call by connecting tothe CS service network. For example, when the caller identificationinformation is included in the white list, the processor 120 connectsthe voice call by connecting to the CS service network.

The memory 130 may include volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. Thememory 130 may store commands or data, such as the reception controllist relating to the other components of the electronic device 101. Thememory 130 may store software and/or a program 140. The program 140includes a kernel 141, middleware 143, an application programminginterface (API) 145, and/or applications 147. At least some of thekernel 141, the middleware 143, and the API 145 may be referred to as anoperating system (OS).

The kernel 141 may control or manage system resources, such as the bus110, the processor 120, or the memory 130, used for performing anoperation or function implemented by the other programs, such as themiddleware 143, the API 145, or the application 147. Further, the kernel141 may provide an interface for allowing the middleware 143, the API145, or the application 147 to access individual elements of theelectronic device 101 to control or manage the system resources.

The middleware 143 may function as an intermediary for the API 145 orthe applications 147 to communicate with the kernel 141, e.g., toexchange data.

In addition, the middleware 143 may process one or more task requestsreceived from the application 147 according to priorities thereof. Forexample, the middleware 143 assigns priorities for using the systemresources of the electronic device 101, to at least one of theapplication 147. As another example, the middleware 143 performsscheduling or load balancing on the one or more task requests byprocessing the one or more task requests according to the prioritiesassigned thereto.

The API 145 is an interface through which the applications 147 maycontrol functions provided from the kernel 141 or the middleware 143,and may include at least one interface or function, such as aninstruction for file control, window control, image processing, or textcontrol.

The input/output interface 150 may include various input/outputcircuitry and function as an interface that transfers instructions ordata input from a user or another external device to the other elementsof the electronic device 101. Further, the input/output interface 150may output the instructions or data received from the other elements ofthe electronic device 101 to the user or an external electronic device.

The display 160 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a lightemitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, a microelectro mechanical system (MEMS) display, an electronic paper display,or the like, but is not limited thereto. The display 160 may displayvarious types of content, such as text, images, videos, icons, orsymbols. The display 160 may display a web page.

The display 160 may include a touch screen, which receives a touch, agesture, proximity, a hovering input, etc., using an electronic pen or auser's body part (e.g., a finger).

The communication interface 170 may include various communicationcircuitry and establish communication between the electronic device 101and a first external electronic device 102, a second external electronicdevice 104, and/or a server 106. For example, the communicationinterface 170 communicates with the first external electronic device102, the second external electronic device 104, and/or the server 106through the network 162 using wireless communication or wiredcommunication or via a short-range communication 164. For example, thewireless communication conforms to a cellular communication protocolincluding at least one of LTE, LTE-advanced (LTE-A), code divisionmultiple access (CDMA), WCDMA, universal mobile telecommunication system(UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), and GSM.

The wired communication may include at least one of a universal serialbus (USB), a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a recommendedstandard 232 (RS-232), and a plain old telephone service (POTS).

The network 162 may include a telecommunications network, a computernetwork such as local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), theInternet, and a telephone network.

The electronic device 101 may provide an LTE service in a single radioenvironment by use of at least one module functionally or physicallyseparated from the processor 120.

Each of the first and second external electronic devices 102 and 104 maybe the same or different type of device as the electronic device 101.

The server 106 may include a group of one or more servers.

All or some of the operations to be executed by the electronic device101 may be executed by the first external electronic device 102, thesecond external electronic device 104, and/or the server 106. Forexample, when the electronic device 101 performs a certain function orservice (automatically or by request), the electronic device 101 mayrequest some functions that are associated therewith from the firstexternal electronic device 102, the second external electronic device104, and/or the server 106, instead of or in addition to executing thefunction or service itself. The first external electronic device 102,the second external electronic device 104, and/or the server 106 mayexecute the requested functions or additional functions, and maytransmit the results to the electronic device 101. The electronic device101 may provide the requested functions or services by processing thereceived results. For example, a cloud computing technique, adistributed computing technique, or a client-server computing techniquemay be used.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 210may determine a current mode of the electronic device based on a resultdetected in at least one of the above-described sensor modules accordingto an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The processor 210may generate a control signal based on the determined current mode, andmay adjust an operating frequency band of a conductive member of theelectronic device in a low band by controlling a tunable circuit usingthe corresponding control signal.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example electronic device, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device 201 includes a processor(e.g., including processing circuitry) 210, a communication module(e.g., including communication circuitry) 220, a subscriberidentification module (SIM) card 224, a memory 230, a sensor module 240,an input device (e.g., including input circuitry) 250, a display 260, aninterface (e.g., including interface circuitry) 270, an audio module280, a camera module 291, a power management module 295, a battery 296,an indicator 297, and a motor 298.

The processor 210 may include various processing circuitry and control aplurality of hardware or software elements connected to the processor210 by driving an OS or an application program. The processor 210 mayprocess a variety of data, including multimedia data, perform arithmeticoperations, may be implemented with a system on chip (SoC), and mayfurther include a GPU.

The communication module 220 may include various communication circuitryand perform data transmission/reception between an external electronicdevice and/or a server, which may be connected with the electronicdevice through a network. The communication module 220 may includevarious communication circuitry, such as, for example, and withoutlimitation, at least one of a cellular module 221, a Wi-Fi module 223, aBluetooth® (BT) module 225, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)or GPS module 227, a near field communication (NFC) module 228, and aradio frequency (RF) module 229.

The cellular module 221 may provide a voice call, a video call, a textservice, or an Internet service through a communication network, such asLTE, LTE-A, CDMA, WCDMA, UMTS, WiBro, or GSM. In addition, the cellularmodule 221 may identify and authenticate the electronic device withinthe communication network by using the SIM card 224. The cellular module221 may perform at least some of the functions that can be provided bythe processor 210. For example, the cellular module 221 may performmultimedia control functions.

The cellular module 221 may include a CP. Further, the cellular module221 may be implemented, for example, with an SoC.

Although elements, such as the cellular module 221, the memory 230, andthe power management module 295 are illustrated as separate elementswith respect to the processor 210 in FIG. 2, the processor 210 may alsobe implemented such that at least one part of the aforementionedelements, e.g., the cellular module 221, is included in the processor210.

The processor 210 or the cellular module 221 may load an instruction ordata, which is received from each non-volatile memory connected theretoor at least one of different elements, to a volatile memory andprocesses the instruction or data. In addition, the processor 210 or thecellular module 221 may store data, which is received from at least oneof different elements or generated by at least one of differentelements, into a non-volatile memory.

Each of the Wi-Fi module 223, the BT module 225, the GNSS module 227,and the NFC module 228 may include a processor for processing datatransmitted/received through a corresponding module. Although thecellular module 221, the Wi-Fi module 223, the BT module 225, the GNSSmodule 227, and the NFC module 228 are illustrated in FIG. 2 as separateblocks, at least two of the cellular module 221, the Wi-Fi module 223,the BT module 225, the GNSS module 227, and the NFC module 228 may beincluded in one integrated chip (IC) or IC package. For example, atleast some of processors corresponding to the cellular module 221, theWi-Fi module 223, the BT module 225, the GNSS module 227, and the NFCmodule 228, such as a communication processor corresponding to thecellular module 221 and a Wi-Fi processor corresponding to the Wi-Fimodule 223, may be implemented with an SoC.

The RF module 229 may transmit/receive data, such as an RF signal, andmay include a transceiver, a power amp module (PAM), a frequency filter,or a low noise amplifier (LNA). In addition, the RF module 229 mayfurther include a component for transmitting/receiving a radio wave on afree space in wireless communication, e.g., a conductor or a conductingwire. The cellular module 221, the Wi-Fi module 223, the BT module 225,the GNSS module 227, and the NFC module 228 may share the RF module 229,or at least one of these modules may transmit/receive an RF signal via aseparate RF module.

The SIM card 224 may be inserted into a slot formed in the electronicdevice. The SIM card 224 includes unique identification information,such as an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID) or subscriberinformation, such as an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI).

The memory 230 includes an internal memory 232 and/or an external memory234.

The internal memory 232 may include at least one of a volatile memory,such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), or asynchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) or a non-volatile memory, such as aone-time programmable read only memory (OTPROM), a programmable ROM(PROM), an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electricallyerasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a notand (NAND) flash memory, and a not or (NOR) flash memory. The internalmemory 232 may be a solid state drive (SSD).

The external memory 234 may include a flash drive, a compact flash (CF),secure digital (SD), micro-SD, mini-SD, extreme digital (xD), and amemory stick, and may be operatively coupled to the electronic devicevia various interfaces.

The electronic device may also include a storage unit (or a storagemedium), such as a hard drive.

The sensor module 240 may measure a physical quantity or detect anoperation state of the electronic device, and convert the measured ordetected information into an electrical signal. The sensor module 240includes a gesture sensor 240A, a gyro sensor 240B, an atmosphericpressure sensor 240C, a magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor240E, a grip sensor 240F, a proximity sensor 240G, a color sensor 240H,e.g., a red, green, blue (RGB) sensor, a biometric sensor 240I, atemperature/humidity sensor 240J, an illumination sensor 240K, and anultraviolet (UV) sensor 240M.

Additionally or alternatively, the sensor module 240 may include othersensors, e.g., an E-node sensor, an electromyography (EMG) sensor, anelectroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor,and/or a fingerprint sensor.

The sensor module 240 may further include a control circuit forcontrolling at least one or more sensors included therein.

The input device 250 may include various input circuitry, such as, forexample, and without limitation, at least one of a touch panel 252, a(digital) pen sensor 254, a key 256, and an ultrasonic input unit 258,or the like. The touch panel 252 may recognize a touch input using atleast one of an electrostatic type configuration, a pressure-sensitivetype configuration, and an ultrasonic type configuration. The touchpanel 252 may further include a control circuit. When the touch panel isof the electrostatic type, both physical contact recognition andproximity recognition are possible. The touch panel 252 may furtherinclude a tactile layer, which provides the user with a tactilereaction.

The (digital) pen sensor 254 may include a recognition sheet which canbe a part of the touch panel or can be separately implemented from thetouch panel. The (digital) pen sensor 254 may be implemented using thesame or similar method of receiving a touch input of a user or using anadditional recognition sheet.

The key 256 may include a physical button, an optical key, or a keypad.

The ultrasonic input device 258 may detect ultrasonic waves generated byan input tool through a microphone 288, and may identify datacorresponding to the detected ultrasonic waves.

The ultrasonic input unit 258 may detect a reflected sound wave throughthe microphone 288 and perform radio recognition. For example, anultrasonic signal, which may be generated by using a pen, may bereflected off an object and detected by the microphone 288.

The electronic device may use the communication module 220 to receive auser input from an external device, such as a computer or a serverconnected thereto.

The display 260 includes a panel 262, a hologram device 264, and aprojector 266.

The panel 262 may be an LCD or an AM-OLED and may be implemented in aflexible, transparent, or wearable manner. Alternatively, the panel 262may be constructed as one module with the touch panel 252.

The hologram device 264 uses an interference of light and displays astereoscopic image in the air.

The projector 266 displays an image by projecting a light beam onto ascreen, which may be located inside or outside the electronic device.

The display 260 may further include a control circuit for controllingthe panel 262, the hologram device 264, and/or the projector 266.

The interface 270 may include various interface circuitry, such as, forexample, and without limitation, at least one of an HDMI 272, a USB 274,an optical communication interface 276, and a d-subminiature (D-sub)278, or the like. The interface 270 may include a mobile high-definitionlink (MHL), SD/multi-media card (MMC), and/or Infrared Data Association(IrDA).

The audio module 280 bilaterally converts a sound and an electricsignal. The audio module 280 converts sound information, which is inputor output through a speaker 282, a receiver 284, an earphone 286, and/orthe microphone 288.

The speaker 282 may output a signal of an audible frequency band and asignal of an ultrasonic frequency band. Reflected waves of an ultrasonicsignal emitted from the speaker 282 and a signal of an external audiblefrequency band may be received.

The camera module 291 captures an image and/or a video, and may includeone or more image sensors, such as a front sensor or a rear sensor, alens, an image signal processor (ISP), or a flash, such as an LED or axenon lamp. Alternatively, the electronic device may include two or morecamera modules.

The power management module 295 manages power of the electronic device.The power management module 295 may include a power managementintegrated circuit (PMIC), a charger IC, and/or a battery gauge.

The PMIC may be included in an IC or an SoC semiconductor and may use awired charging and/or a wireless charging method. The charger IC maycharge the battery 296 and may prevent an over-voltage or over-currentflow.

Different types of wireless charging may include magnetic resonancetype, magnetic induction type, and electromagnetic type. An additionalcircuit for the wireless charging, such as a coil loop, a resonantcircuit, and/or a rectifier may be added.

The battery gauge may measure a residual quantity of the battery 296 anda voltage, current, and temperature during charging. The battery 296stores or generates electricity and supplies power to the electronicdevice by using the stored or generated electricity. The battery 296 mayinclude a rechargeable battery or a solar battery.

The indicator 297 indicates a specific state, such as a booting state, amessage, or a charging state of the electronic device or a part thereof,such as the processor 210.

The motor 298 converts an electric signal into a mechanical vibration.

Alternatively, the electronic device includes a processing unit, such asa GPU, for supporting mobile TV, which processes media data according toa protocol, e.g., digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital videobroadcasting (DVB), and/or media flow.

Each of the aforementioned elements of the electronic device 201 mayinclude one or more components, and the names thereof may vary dependingon a type of the electronic device 201. Some of the elements illustratedin FIG. 2 may be omitted, and/or additional elements may be includedtherein. In addition, some of the elements of the electronic device 201may be combined and constructed as a single entity, so as to equallyperform functions of corresponding elements before combination.

At least some parts of the electronic device 201, such as modules orfunctions thereof, or operations, may be implemented with an instructionstored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Theinstruction may be executed by the processor 210, to perform a functioncorresponding to the instruction. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage media may be the memory 230. At least some parts of theprogramming module may be executed by the processor 210. At least someparts of the programming module may include modules, programs, routines,and a set of instructions for performing one or more functions.

According to various embodiments, in response to an interworkingoperation (e.g., a charging operation or a data exchange operation) withan electronic device having a cooling function (e.g., an electronicdevice 350 of FIG. 3), the processor 210 can detect an internaltemperature of an external electronic device through the temperaturesensor 240J in real time. According to an embodiment, based on a tableregarding control commands stored in the memory 230 of the externalelectronic device, the processor 210 can send a particular controlcommand corresponding to a current temperature, to the electronic devicehaving the cooling function (e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3).

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external electronicdevice resting on an electronic device having a cooling functionaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

An external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3 may be similar to theexternal electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or the external electronicdevice 201 of FIG. 2, or include other embodiments of the electronicdevice.

Referring to FIG. 3, the external electronic device 300 may rest on anelectronic device 350 having a cooling function (hereafter, referred toas an electronic device). According to an embodiment, the electronicdevice 350 may be used, for example, and without limitation, as acharging device which charges the external electronic device 300 by wireor wirelessly, as a hub device which exchanges data with anotherexternal electronic device, or as a device (e.g., for receiving andoutputting an audio signal) for holding the external electronic device300 (e.g., to play multimedia), or the like.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 350 may includea first housing 351 disposed on a ground surface (e.g., a bottomsurface), and a second housing 352 disposed at a specific angle based onthe first housing 351. According to an embodiment, the second housing352 may be integrally formed with the first housing 351, or attached tothe first housing 351. According to an embodiment, at least part of theexternal electronic device 300 can be received in a region of the firsthousing 351 of the electronic device 350, and may rest at a specificangle based on the second housing 352. According to an embodiment, atleast part of the second housing 352 may include a hollow portion, andthe external electronic device 300 may be received in the hollowportion.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 300 maydetect its resting in the electronic device 350. For example, theexternal electronic device 300 may rest in the electronic device 350 forthe sake of, for example, and without limitation, charging, dataexchange, or resting, or the like. According to an embodiment, inresponse to the resting, the external electronic device 300 may detectits internal temperature. According to an embodiment, the externalelectronic device 300 may send a control command corresponding to thedetected temperature, to the electronic device 350.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 350 may controlan internal electric fan motor (e.g., an electric fan motor 630 of FIG.6A) based on the control command received from the external electronicdevice 300. According to an embodiment, the control command can includevoltage information for controlling the electric fan motor (e.g., theelectric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) of the electronic device 350according to the temperature of the external electronic device 300.According to an embodiment, the control command may include RevolutionsPer Minute (RPM) information for controlling the electric fan motor(e.g., the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) of the electronic device350 according to the temperature of the external electronic device 300.According to an embodiment, the electronic device 350 may control alevel of a cooling air discharged from an inside of the second housing352 toward the external electronic device 300, based on the controlcommand received from the external electronic device 300.

In the following description, the external electronic device and theelectronic device having the cooling function shall be described ingreater detail.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views illustrating a front side and aback side, respectively, of an external electronic device according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

The external electronic device of FIGS. 4A and 4B may be similar to theexternal electronic device of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 3, or includeanother embodiment of the external electronic device.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude a housing 410. According to an embodiment, the externalelectronic device 400 may include a display 401 disposed in a first sidedirection 4001 (e.g., a front side direction) of the housing 410.According to an embodiment, the display 401 may include a touch sensorand serve as a touch screen device. According to an embodiment, thedisplay 401 may include a pressure sensor and serve a pressure-sensitivetouch screen device. According to an embodiment, the external electronicdevice 400 may include a receiver 402 which is disposed to output avoice of other party. According to an embodiment, the externalelectronic device 400 may include a microphone device 403 disposed tosend user's voice to the other party.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude components for performing various functions of the externalelectronic device 400, near the receiver 402. The components may includeat least one sensor module 404. The sensor module 404 may include, forexample, and without limitation, at least one of an illumination sensor(e.g., an optical sensor), a proximity sensor (e.g., an optical sensor),an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a fingerprint scanning sensor,and an iris scanning sensor, or the like. According to an embodiment,the components may include a first camera device 405. According to anembodiment, the components may include an indicator 406 (e.g., a LightEmitting Diode (LED) device) which notifies status information of theexternal electronic device 400 to the user.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude a speaker device 408 disposed on one side of the microphonedevice 403. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device400 may include an interface connector port 407 which is disposed onother side of the microphone device 403. The interface connector port407 exchanges data with another external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 350 having the cooling function of FIG. 3), andcharges the external electronic device 400 by receiving external power.According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude an earjack hole 409 disposed on a side of the interfaceconnector port 407.

According to various embodiments, the housing 410 may comprise aconductive material and/or a nonconductive material. According to anembodiment, the housing 410 may be disposed along edges of the externalelectronic device 400 and extend to part of a second side direction 4002(e.g., a rear side direction) of the external electronic device 400 orto at least a portion of the first side direction 4001 which is oppositeto the second side direction 4002. According to an embodiment, thehousing 410 can be defined as, but not limited to, at least part of athickness of the external electronic device 400 along the edges of theexternal electronic device 400, and formed in a closed-loop shape. Theelectronic device 410 may be formed as at least part of the thickness ofthe external electronic device 400. According to an embodiment, at leastpart of the housing 410 may be embedded in the external electronicdevice 400.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude a rear side housing 411 (e.g., a rear side cover) disposed inthe second side direction 4002 (e.g., the rear side direction).According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude a second camera device 412 exposed through the rear side housing411. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude at least one electronic component 413 which is disposed on aside of the second camera device 412. According to an embodiment, theelectronic component 413 may include, for example, and withoutlimitation, at least one of an illumination sensor (e.g., opticalsensor), a proximity sensor (e.g., optical sensor), an infrared sensor,an ultrasonic sensor, a heat rate monitor sensor, a flash device, and afingerprint scanning sensor, or the like.

According to various embodiments, the external electronic device 400 mayinclude, as a power supply means, a battery (not shown) (e.g., rigidtype battery pack or pouch type battery cell) which is secured to thehousing 410 inside the external electronic device 400.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device400 rests in an electronic device having the cooling function (e.g., theelectronic device 350 of FIG. 3), it may receive charging power orexchange data through the interface connector port 407.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device400 rests in an electronic device having the cooling function (e.g., theelectronic device 350 of FIG. 3), it may include a wireless powerreceiving member (e.g., a coil member) for receiving wireless chargingpower through a wireless power transmitting member of the electronicdevice having the cooling function (e.g., the electronic device 350 ofFIG. 3). According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 400may include a wireless communication circuit for, when the externalelectronic device 400 rests in the electronic device having the coolingfunction (e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3) and determineswhether the resting is for the wireless charging, wirelesslycommunicating with the electronic device having the cooling function(e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3). According to an embodiment,the wireless communication circuit may include at least one antennaradiator for at least one short-range wireless communication ofBluetooth, Zigbee, and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi).

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are diagrams illustrating an example electronicdevice having a cooling function according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

An electronic device 500 having the cooling function of FIGS. 5A, 5B,and 5C may be similar to the electronic device 350 having the coolingfunction of FIG. 3, or include another embodiment of the electronicdevice having the cooling function.

Referring to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the electronic device 500 having thecooling function (hereafter, referred to as an electronic device) mayinclude a first housing 510 arranged to lie on, for example, a ground(e.g., a bottom surface), and a second housing 520 disposed at aspecific angle from the first housing 510. According to an embodiment,the first housing 510 may include a hollow portion (or recessed portion)511 (e.g., a receiving portion) for receiving at least part of anexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 400 ofFIG. 4A) and/or at least part of the second housing 520. According to anembodiment, the second housing 520 may be attached to the first housing510. According to an embodiment, the second housing 520 may be disposedto slide in the first housing 510. In this case, as illustrated in FIG.5C, the second housing 520 may be disposed to overlap the first housing510 in parallel. According to an embodiment, the second housing 520 maybe completely received in the hollow portion 511 of the first housing510. According to an embodiment, when the second housing 520 may openedfrom the first housing 510, it may stay erected at a specific angle fromthe first housing 510. According to an embodiment, as illustrated inFIG. 5C, the external electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 400 of FIG. 4A) can rest in parallel with the ground by use of aholding surface 5201 of the second housing 520 which is folded into thefirst housing 510. In this case, the external electronic device (e.g.,the external electronic device 400 of FIG. 4A) can wirelessly receivethe charging power through a wireless power transmitting member (e.g., awireless power transmitting member 660 of FIG. 6A) of the electronicdevice 500. According to an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5A andFIG. 5B, the external electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 400 of FIG. 4A) may be mounted to be supported by the holdingsurface 5201 of the second housing 520 which is opened at the specificangle from the first housing 510. In this case, the external electronicdevice (e.g., the external electronic device 400 of FIG. 4A) can beelectrically connected to the electronic device 500 through a connector512.

According to various embodiments, when the external electronic device(e.g., the external electronic device 400 of FIG. 4A) rests in thehollow portion 511, the connector 512 for electrically connecting aninterface connector port (e.g., the interface connector port 407 of FIG.4A) of the external electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 400 of FIG. 4A) may protrude. According to an embodiment, thehollow portion 511 may include a pair of support protrusions 513 whichprotrude across the connector 512. According to an embodiment, thesupport protrusions 513 may prevent and/or reduce horizontal movement ofthe external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 400of FIG. 4A) resting in the hollow portion 511 of the first housing 510,and support smooth electrical connection. According to an embodiment, atleast one interface connector port 5141, 5142, and/or 5143 may beexposed at an adequate position on an outer surface of the first housing510. According to an embodiment, the interface connector port 5141,5142, and/or 5143 can be shaped for the electrical connection with otherexternal electronic device. According to an embodiment, the at least oneinterface connector port 5141, 5142, and/or 5143 may include, forexample, and without limitation, an HDMI, a USB, an optical interface, aDigital Visual Interface (DVI), a Display Port (DP), or a D-sub port, orthe like. According to an embodiment, the other external electronicdevice can include a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker, or acharging adaptor, or the like.

According to various embodiments, the second housing 520 may include afirst cover 521 including a plurality of first openings 5211 on a rearside 5202, a holding surface 5201 coupled with the first cover 521 forthe external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 400of FIG. 4A), and a second cover 522 including a second opening 5221.According to an embodiment, the first openings 5211 may serve as an airinlet for flowing external air into the second housing 520. According toan embodiment, the second opening 5221 may serve as an air outlet fordischarging the internal air of the second housing 520. According to anembodiment, the second opening 5221 may be formed according to astructural shape of the second cover 522. According to an embodiment,the second opening 5221 may be formed by, but not limited to, a couplingshape of the second cover 522 and a separate auxiliary cover 523. Thesecond opening 5221 may be formed by a coupling shape of the secondcover 522 and the first cover 521.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device 500 may receivea control command of the external electronic device (e.g., the externalelectronic device 400 of FIG. 4A) and thus drive an internal electricfan motor (e.g., an electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A). According to anembodiment, the electronic device 500 may suck the external air from thefirst opening 5211 of the first cover 521 based on the driving of theelectric fan motor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A), anddischarge the air to the second opening 5221 of the second cover 522.According to an embodiment, due to the shape of the second opening 5221,the discharged air may head toward the external electronic device (e.g.,the external electronic device 400 of FIG. 4A) resting on the holdingsurface 5201 of the second cover 522.

FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of illustrating a second housingof an electronic device having a cooling function according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

The second housing 600 of FIG. 6A may be similar to the second housing352 of FIG. 3 or the second housing 520 of FIG. 5A, or can includeanother embodiment of the second housing.

According to various embodiments, the second housing 600 may include afirst cover 610 (e.g., the first cover 521 of FIG. 5A), a support plate620 and an electric fan motor 630 which are sequentially disposed insidethe first cover 610, a second cover 650 (e.g., the second cover 522 ofFIG. 5A), and an auxiliary cover 640 (e.g., the auxiliary cover 523 ofFIG. 5A).

According to various embodiments, the first cover 610 may include aplurality of first openings 612 for sucking external air in. Accordingto an embodiment, the support plate 620 may include an opening 621 of aspecific diameter that may be disposed at its center in an inner space611 of the first cover 610. According to an embodiment, the supportplate 620 may be secured using, for example, and without limitation,screw fastening, mechanical structure coupling, bonding coupling, orultrasonic welding, or the like, with the first cover 610.

According to various embodiments, the electric fan motor 630 may besecured to, for example, but not limited to, the support plate 620. Theelectric fan motor 630 may be secured directly to the first cover 610,without the support plate 620. According to an embodiment, the electricfan motor 630 includes fans (e.g., blades), and may guide the airflowing into the first opening 612 to a second opening (e.g., a secondopening 6501 of FIG. 6B) according to rotation of the fan.

According to various embodiments, the second cover 650 including aholding surface 6001 may be coupled with the first cover 610 through theauxiliary cover 640. According to an embodiment, the second cover 650may include a plurality of air guides 651 disposed at specific intervalsalong edges. According to an embodiment, the air guides 651 may becoupled with the auxiliary cover 640, and spaces between the air guides651 may define a plurality of second openings (e.g., the second opening6501 of FIG. 6B). The present disclosure is not limited to thisembodiment, and the structural joining of the first cover 610 and theair guide 651 of the second cover 650 may define the second opening.Alternatively, the second cover 650 may include a single housingincluding the auxiliary cover 640 and a hole in a portion of the secondcover 650, and thus the second opening may be defined.

According to various embodiments, the second housing 600 may include awireless power transmitting member 660 disposed between the second cover650 and the electric fan motor 630. In this case, an electronic devicehaving a cooling function (e.g., the electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A)including the second housing 600 may wirelessly charge an externalelectronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3).According to an embodiment, the electronic device having the coolingfunction (e.g., the electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A) may include, butis not limited to, a connector (e.g., the connector 512 of FIG. 5A) forelectrically connecting to the external electronic device (e.g., theexternal electronic device 300 of FIG. 3), and a wireless powertransmitting member 660. The electronic device having the coolingfunction (e.g., the electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A) may include one ofthe connector (e.g., the connector 512 of FIG. 5A) and the wirelesspower transmitting member 660.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the second housing of FIG. 6A,which is assembled, according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the support plate 620 may be secured in the innerspace 611 of the first cover 610. According to an embodiment, theelectric fan motor 630 may be secured to the support plate 620.According to an embodiment, the second cover 650 may be coupled with thefirst cover 610 through the auxiliary cover 640. According to anembodiment, edges of the auxiliary cover 640 contact the air guides 651which are disposed at regular intervals along the edges of the secondcover, and thus the spaces between the air guides 651 can be defined asthe second opening 6501.

According to various embodiments, the electric fan motor 630 may bedriven based on a control command received from the external electronicdevice (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) resting onthe holding surface 6001 of the first cover 610. According to anembodiment, based on the driving of the electric fan motor 630, theexternal air may flow into the inner space 611 of the second housing 600through the first openings 612 of the first cover 610. According to anembodiment, the air flowing into the second housing 600 may bedischarged by the electric fan motor 630 through the second opening 6501which is formed by the air guide 651 of the second cover 650 and theauxiliary cover 640. According to an embodiment, the air dischargedthrough the second opening 6501 may head toward an external electronicdevice 680 which is resting on the holding surface 6001, according tothe shape of the second opening 6501 of the second housing 650.According to an embodiment, the discharged air may head toward theexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 ofFIG. 3) resting on the holding surface 6001, according to the shape ofthe air guide 651 which defines the second opening 6501. According to anembodiment, the air discharged through the second opening 6501 maychange in direction according to the shape of the auxiliary cover 640.According to an embodiment, the air discharged through the secondopening 6501 may change in direction according to the shape (e.g., edgesbend toward the holding surface) of the auxiliary cover 640 which isadjacent to the second opening 6501.

According to various embodiments, the holding surface 6001 of the secondcover 650 may protrude and curve outward in order to effectively coolthe external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300of FIG. 3) with the discharged air from the second opening 6501.According to an embodiment, the holding surface 6001 may protrude mostat the center and curve while declining toward its rim. Hence, theexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 ofFIG. 3) resting on the holding surface 6001 may contact substantiallythe most protruding center portion of the holding surface 6001 andcreate spaces 6801 and 6802 in remaining portions, and the dischargedair may be sucked into the spaces 6801 and 6802 and the externalelectronic device 680 may be effectively cooled.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams illustrating examples of air flowdischarged through an electronic device having a cooling functionaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

An electronic device 700 having the cooling function of FIGS. 7A, 7B,and 7C can be similar to the electronic device 350 having the coolingfunction of FIG. 3 or the electronic device 500 having the coolingfunction of FIG. 5, or may be directed to another embodiment of theelectronic device having the cooling function.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams of the air flow, when viewed fromvarious directions, for cooling an external electronic device resting inthe electronic device having the cooling function.

Referring to FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, an external electronic device 750(e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may rest in anelectronic device 700 having the cooling function (e.g., the electronicdevice 350 of FIG. 3) (hereafter, referred to as an electronic device)for the sake of, for example, and without limitation, charging, dataexchange, or resting, or the like. According to an embodiment, theexternal electronic device 750 can rest to be supported by a secondhousing 720 which is disposed at a specific angle from a first housing710 of the electronic device 700. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 700 may drive an internal electric fan motor (e.g.,the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) based on a control commandreceived from the external electronic device 750. According to anembodiment, driving of the electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fanmotor 630 of FIG. 6A) may suck external air into an inner space of thesecond housing 720 through first openings 7211 of a first cover 721which is defined as a rear side 7202 of the second housing 720.According to an embodiment, the electric fan motor (e.g., the electricfan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) may discharge the air flowing into the secondhousing 720 through second openings 7221 (e.g., the second openings 6501of FIG. 6B) disposed at edges of a holding surface 7201 of the secondcover 722.

According to various embodiments, the holding surface 7201 of the secondcover 722 may protrude and bend outward in order to effectively cool theexternal electronic device 750 (e.g., the external electronic device 300of FIG. 3) with the discharged air from the second openings 7221.According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 750 restingon the holding surface 7201 may contact substantially the mostprotruding center portion of the holding surface 7201 and create a space7501 in remaining portions. According to an embodiment, the dischargedair from the second openings 7221 may flow into the space 7501 and thuscool the external electronic device 750 in three dimensions.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating an example structure forcontrolling a discharged air direction in an electronic device having acooling function according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

An electronic device 800 having the cooling function of FIGS. 8A and 8Bmay be similar to the electronic device 350 having the cooling functionof FIG. 3, the electronic device 500 having the cooling function of FIG.5A, or the electronic device 700 having the cooling function of FIG. 7A,or may be directed to another embodiment of the electronic device havingthe cooling function.

Referring to FIG. 8A, the electronic device 800 having the coolingfunction (e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3) (hereafter,referred to as an electronic device) may include a first housing 810 anda second housing 820 which is disposed at a specific angle from thefirst housing 810. According to an embodiment, the second housing 820may include a plurality of second openings 8222-1 disposed along edgesof a second cover 822. According to an embodiment, when an externalelectronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3)rests on a holding surface 8201 of the second housing 820, theelectronic device 800 may receive a control command from the externalelectronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3)and thus drive an internal electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fanmotor 630 of FIG. 6). According to an embodiment, the driving of theelectric fan motor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6) can suckexternal air into the second housing 820 and then discharge the airtoward the external electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 300 of FIG. 3) through the second openings 8222-1.

According to various embodiments, the direction of the air dischargedthrough the second openings 8222-1 can change according to coupling ofair guides 8221-1 disposed at regular intervals along the edges of thesecond cover 822, and an auxiliary cover 823. According to anembodiment, the air may be discharged through the second openings 8222-1counterclockwise toward the external electronic device as illustrated inFIG. 8A. According to an embodiment, the air discharged from the secondopenings 8222-1 may change the discharge direction to thecounterclockwise direction due to the air guides 8221-1 disposed inparallel with a line 12 which is inclined counterclockwise at a specificangle θ1 from a line 11 which crosses a center of the second cover 822at the edges of the second cover 822.

As illustrated in FIG. 8B, the air may be discharged from the secondopenings 8222-2 clockwise toward the external electronic deviceaccording to the coupling of the air guides 8221-2 disposed at regularintervals along the edges of the second cover 822, and the auxiliarycover 823. According to an embodiment, the air discharged from thesecond opening 8222-2 may change the discharge direction to theclockwise direction due to the air guides 8221-2 disposed in parallelwith a line 13 which is inclined clockwise at a specific angle θ2 fromthe line 11 which crosses the center of the second cover 822 at theedges of the second cover 822.

According to various embodiments, the direction of the air flowdischarged through the second openings 8222-1 and 8222-2 may headvarious directions based on the complex shape of the air guides 8221-1and the 8221-2. For example, the air discharged through the secondopenings 8222-1 and 8222-2 may determine the direction to focus on theexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 ofFIG. 3) by complexly changing the shape of the air guides 8221-1 and8221-2 based on a holding style (e.g., horizontal mode holding style orvertical mode holding style) of the external electronic device (e.g.,the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3).

According to various embodiments, the electronic device having thecooling function may operate independently from the external electronicdevice. For example, the electronic device having the cooling functioncan include a control circuit (e.g., a processor). According to anembodiment, the electronic device having the cooling function maydirectly detect environment information (e.g., temperature) of theexternal electronic device which is resting, and directly control theelectric fan motor based on a table regarding control commands stored inan internal memory.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device having thecooling function may interwork with the external electronic device onlyin some functions. According to an embodiment, the electronic devicehaving the cooling function may include a control circuit (e.g., aprocessor). According to an embodiment, the electronic device having thecooling function may receive monitored environment information (e.g.,temperature information) from the resting external electronic device,and directly control the electric fan motor based on the table regardingcontrol commands stored in the memory therein.

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of controllingoperations between an external electronic device and an electronicdevice having a cooling function according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 901, an external electronic device 900(e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) and an electronicdevice 950 having a cooling function (e.g., the electronic device 350 ofFIG. 3) (hereafter, referred to as an electronic device) can beconnected. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device900 may be connected to the electronic device 950 merely by resting onthe electronic device 950. According to an embodiment, the externalelectronic device 900 may be connected to a connector (the connector 512of FIG. 5A) (e.g., a type C USB connector) of the electronic device(e.g., the electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A) for the sake of charging ordata exchange. According to an embodiment, the external electronicdevice 900 may determine the resting by detecting wireless powerreceived from the electronic device 950 for the charging, and connect tothe electronic device 950 using short-range wireless communication.

In operation 903, the external electronic device 900 may determine andchange an operation mode. According to an embodiment, the externalelectronic device 900 can be connected to the electronic device 950, andthen determine or change the operation mode to an internal temperaturedetection mode. According to an embodiment, the external electronicdevice 900 can detect an internal temperature using a temperature sensor(e.g., the sensor mode 240J of FIG. 2) at specific time intervals or inreal time.

In operation 905, the external electronic device 900 may receivecharging power from the electronic device 950. According to anembodiment, the external electronic device 900 can receive the chargingpower through the connector (e.g., the connector 512 of FIG. 5A) of theelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A).According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 900 mayreceive the charging power wirelessly from a wireless power transmittingmember (e.g., the wireless power transmitting member 660 of FIG. 6A) ofthe electronic device 950.

In operation 907, the external electronic device 900 may recognizecontext. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 900may perform context awareness about at least part of the charging powersupplied from the electronic device 950, a function (or application)executed by the electronic device 900, or the temperature of theexternal electronic device 900. According to an embodiment, the externalelectronic device 900 may determine its state by monitoring (or trackingor sensing) various context information including, for example, andwithout limitation, dynamic, individual, or static context of theexternal electronic device 900 or its surrounding environment, or thelike.

In operation 909, the external electronic device 900 may generate acontrol command for controlling an electric fan motor (e.g., theelectric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) of the electronic device 950, basedon the above-stated context awareness. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 900 can generate the control command, based ontemperature information which is detected as a result of the contextawareness.

In operation 911, the external electronic device 900 may send thegenerated control command to the electronic device 950. According to anembodiment, the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 500 ofFIG. 5A) may receive the control command through the connector (e.g.,the connector 512 of FIG. 5A). Alternatively, the electronic device 950may receive the control command through the short-range wirelesscommunication.

In operation 913, the electronic device 950 may control its internalelectric fan motor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) basedon the control command received from the external electronic device 900.According to an embodiment, the electronic device 950 can drive the fan,turn off the fan, or change an RPM of the fan, according to the controlcommand.

In operation 915, the electronic device 950 may send a response (e.g.,Acknowledgement (ACK)) for the control of the electric fan motor (e.g.,the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A), to the external electronicdevice 900. According to an embodiment, operation 915 can be determinedaccording to the control command of the external electronic device 900,and accordingly a separate response may not be transmitted.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating anelectronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

In operation 1001, the electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 300 of FIG. 3) may detect connection to an electronic devicehaving a cooling function (e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3)(hereafter, referred to as an external electronic device). According toan embodiment, when the electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 300 of FIG. 3) rests on the external electronic device (e.g., theexternal electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A), it may be physicallyconnected to a connector (e.g., the connector 512 of FIG. 5A) of theexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 500 ofFIG. 5A). According to an embodiment, the electronic device (e.g., theexternal electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may determine the resting ofthe external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 500of FIG. 5A) in response to wireless charging power received from theexternal electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 500 ofFIG. 5A), and may be connected to the external electronic device usingshort-range wireless communication.

In operation 1003, upon detecting the connection to the externalelectronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 500 of FIG. 5A),the electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG.3) can monitor an internal temperature of the electronic device.According to an embodiment, the electronic device (e.g., the externalelectronic device 300 of FIG. 3) can monitor the internal temperature inreal time or on a periodic basis.

In response to the detected temperature, the electronic device (e.g.,the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may generate a controlcommand for controlling the electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fanmotor 630 of FIG. 6A) of the external electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 500 of FIG. 5A) in operation 1005. According to anembodiment, based on the detected temperature range, the electronicdevice (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) can generatethe control command for turning off the electric fan motor (e.g., theelectric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) or controlling a driving level.

In operation 1007, the electronic device (e.g., the external electronicdevice 300 of FIG. 3) may send a particular control command for thecurrently monitored temperature based on a table regarding controlcommands per temperature stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 230 ofFIG. 2), to the external electronic device (e.g., the externalelectronic device 500 of FIG. 5A).

TABLE 1 monitoring temperature below 36° C. 36° C.~38° C. exceeds 38° C.first control command OFF 2.8 V 4.6 V (voltage) second cotrol commandOFF 1800 RPM 2600 RPM (RPM) state of the eletric OFF ON ON fan motor(low speed) (high speed)

According to various embodiments, as shown in Table 1, when the detectedinternal temperature is below 36□, the electronic device (e.g., theexternal electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may send a control command fornot driving the electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 ofFIG. 6A), to the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device350 of FIG. 3), based on the table regarding voltage information.According to an embodiment, when the detected internal temperatureexceeds 36° C. and falls below 38° C., the electronic device (e.g., theexternal electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may send a control command(low speed) for driving the electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fanmotor 630 of FIG. 6A) with the voltage 2.8V, to the external electronicdevice (e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3). According to anembodiment, when the detected internal temperature exceeds 38° C., theelectronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG. 3)may send a control command (high speed) for driving the electric fanmotor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) with the voltage4.6V, to the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 350of FIG. 3).

According to various embodiments, as shown in Table 1, when the detectedinternal temperature is below 36° C., the electronic device (e.g., theexternal electronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may send a control command fornot driving the electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 ofFIG. 6A) to the external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device350 of FIG. 3), based on the table regarding RPM information. Accordingto an embodiment, when the detected internal temperature exceeds 36° C.and falls below 38° C., the electronic device (e.g., the externalelectronic device 300 of FIG. 3) may send a control command (low speed)for driving the electric fan motor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 ofFIG. 6A) with the RPM information of 1800 RPM, to the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 350 of FIG. 3). Accordingto an embodiment, when the detected internal temperature exceeds 38° C.,the electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device 300 of FIG.3) may send a control command (high speed) for driving the electric fanmotor (e.g., the electric fan motor 630 of FIG. 6A) with the RPMinformation of 2600 RPM, to the electronic device (e.g., the externalelectronic device 350 of FIG. 3).

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device havingthe cooling function, which can efficiently dissipate the high heatgenerating in the external electronic device during the charging or thedata exchange, can contribute to reliability enhancement of the externalelectronic device.

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device havingthe cooling function (hereafter, referred to as the electronic device)can include a control circuit (e.g., a processor). According to anexample embodiment, the electronic device may receive monitoredtemperature information from the external electronic device, anddirectly control the electric fan motor based on the table regarding thecontrol commands stored in the memory therein. According to anembodiment, the electronic device may control the electric fan motor bydirectly detecting the environment information (e.g., temperatureinformation) from the external electronic device.

According to various example embodiments, an electronic device caninclude a first housing including a hollow portion configured to receivean external electronic device, and a second housing disposed at an angledefined by a portion coupled with at least part of the hollow portion.The second housing can include a first cover facing at least part of thehollow portion and including a plurality of first openings, a secondcover received in the first cover and including a plurality of secondopenings, and an electric fan motor disposed in a space between thefirst cover and the second cover, the electric fan motor configured todischarge at least part of intake air from at least some of the firstopenings to at least some of the second openings.

According to various example embodiments, the second cover can include aholding surface for, when the external electronic device is received inthe hollow portion, contacting at least a portion of the externalelectronic device.

According to various example embodiments, the holding surface can beformed in a circular curved surface which descends from a center toedges.

According to various example embodiments, the second openings can beformed to discharge the air toward the external electronic device whichis resting on the holding surface.

According to various example embodiments, the air can be discharged fromthe second openings, due to the curved surface, to a space between theholding surface and the external electronic device.

According to various example embodiments, the second openings can beformed to discharge toward the external electronic device which isreceived in the hollow portion.

According to various example embodiments, the second openings can beformed by a coupling structure of the first cover and the second coveralong edges of the second cover.

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device canfurther include a connector disposed in the hollow portion, wherein theconnector is coupled with a connector port of the external electronicdevice which is received in the hollow portion.

According to various example embodiments, at least one supportprotrusion can protrude near the connector, to support at least part ofthe external electronic device which is received in the hollow portion.

According to various example embodiments, the electronic device canfurther include a wireless charging circuit disposed between theelectric fan motor and the second cover, and a control circuit, whereinthe control circuit is configured to detect the external electronicdevice which is disposed to face the second cover, using the wirelesscharging circuit, and when wirelessly charging the external electronicdevice using the wireless charging circuit, to discharge at least partof the intake air to the wireless charging circuit and the externalelectronic device using the electric fan motor.

According to various example embodiments, the second housing can bemovably coupled to the first housing.

According to various example embodiments, an electronic device caninclude a first housing including a plurality of first openings, asecond cover received in a first cover and including a plurality ofsecond openings, an electric fan motor disposed in a space between thefirst cover and the second cover, and discharging at least part ofintake air from at least some of the first openings to at least some ofthe second openings, a wireless charging circuit disposed between theelectric fan motor and the second cover, and a control circuit. Thecontrol circuit can be configured to detect the external electronicdevice which is disposed to face the second cover, using the wirelesscharging circuit, and when wirelessly charging the external electronicdevice using the wireless charging circuit, to discharge at least partof the intake air to the wireless charging circuit and the externalelectronic device using the electric fan motor.

According to various example embodiments, a surface of the second coverfacing the external electronic device can be formed in a circular curvedsurface which descends from a center to edges.

According to various example embodiments, the air can be discharged fromthe second openings, due to the curved surface, to a space between thesurface of the second cover and the external electronic device.

According to various example embodiments, a method for operating anelectronic device can include detecting whether the electronic devicerests in an external electronic device having a cooling function, whendetecting the resting, detecting whether the electronic device isfunctionally connected to the external electronic device having thecooling function, when detecting the connection, monitoring atemperature of the electronic device, generating a control commandcorresponding to the monitored temperature, and sending the generatedcontrol command to the external electronic device having the coolingfunction.

According to various example embodiments, detecting the resting caninclude detecting that a connector of the external electronic devicehaving the cooling function is electrically connected to a connectorport of the electronic device.

According to various example embodiments, detecting the resting caninclude detecting wireless charging power received from a wirelesscharging circuit of the external electronic device having the coolingfunction.

According to various example embodiments, the control command caninclude information for determining an operation level of an electricfan motor of the external electronic device having the cooling function.

According to various example embodiments, the information can includevoltage information for determining the operation level of the electricfan motor based on the temperature.

According to various example embodiments, the information can includeRPM information for determining the operation level of the electric fanmotor based on the temperature.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with referenceto various example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a first housingcomprising a hollow portion configured to receive an external electronicdevice; and a second housing disposed at an angle defined by a portiondisposed in at least part of the hollow portion, wherein the secondhousing comprises, a first cover facing at least part of the hollowportion and comprising a plurality of first openings; a second coverreceived in the first cover and comprising a plurality of secondopenings; and an electric fan motor disposed in a space between thefirst cover and the second cover, and configured to discharge at leastpart of intake air from at least some of the first openings to at leastsome of the second openings.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the second cover comprises: a holding surface configured tocontact at least a portion of the external electronic device when theexternal electronic device is disposed in the hollow portion.
 3. Theelectronic device of claim 2, wherein the holding surface comprises asubstantially circular curved surface which descends from a center ofthe second cover to edges of the second cover.
 4. The electronic deviceof claim 3, wherein the second openings are configured to discharge theair toward the external electronic device when the external electronicdevice is resting on the holding surface.
 5. The electronic device ofclaim 4, wherein the electronic device is configured to discharge airfrom the second openings to a space between the holding surface and theexternal electronic device, the space being defined by descendingportions of the curved surface.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the second openings are configured to discharge toward theexternal electronic device when the external electronic device isreceived in the hollow portion.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the second openings are formed by a coupling structure of thefirst cover and the second cover along edges of the second cover.
 8. Theelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a connector disposedin the hollow portion, wherein the connector is configured to be coupledwith a connector port of the external electronic device received in thehollow portion.
 9. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprisingat least one support protrusion disposed near the connector, andconfigured to support at least part of the external electronic devicewhen the external electronic device is received in the hollow portion.10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a wirelesscharging circuit; and a control circuit, wherein the control circuit isconfigured to detect the external electronic device using the wirelesscharging circuit, and the electronic device is configured to dischargeat least part of the intake air to the wireless charging circuit and theexternal electronic device using the electric fan motor.
 11. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the second housing is movablycoupled to the first housing.
 12. An electronic device comprising: afirst housing comprising a plurality of first openings; a second coverreceived in a first cover and comprising a plurality of second openings;an electric fan motor disposed in a space between the first cover andthe second cover, and configured to discharge at least part of intakeair from at least some of the first openings to at least some of thesecond openings; a wireless charging circuit; and a control circuit,wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the externalelectronic device using the wireless charging circuit, and theelectronic device is configured to discharge at least part of the intakeair to the wireless charging circuit and the external electronic deviceusing the electric fan motor when wirelessly charging the externalelectronic device using the wireless charging circuit.
 13. Theelectronic device of claim 12, wherein a surface of the second coverfacing the external electronic device comprises a substantially circularcurved surface descending from a center of the second cover to edges ofthe second cover.
 14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein thesecond openings are configured so that air is discharged to a spacebetween the surface of the second cover and the external electronicdevice, the space being defined by descending portions of the curvedsurface.
 15. A method for operating an electronic device, comprising:detecting whether the electronic device rests in an external electronicdevice having a cooling function; detecting whether the electronicdevice is functionally connected to the external electronic devicehaving the cooling function when detecting the resting; monitoring atemperature of the electronic device when detecting the connection;generating a control command corresponding to the monitored temperature;and sending the generated control command to the external electronicdevice having the cooling function.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereindetecting the resting comprises: detecting that a connector of theexternal electronic device having the cooling function is electricallyconnected to a connector port of the electronic device.
 17. The methodof claim 15, wherein detecting the resting comprises: detecting wirelesscharging power received from a wireless charging circuit of the externalelectronic device having the cooling function.
 18. The method of claim15, wherein the control command comprises information for determining anoperation level of an electric fan motor of the external electronicdevice having the cooling function.
 19. The method of claim 18, whereinthe information comprises voltage information for determining theoperation level of the electric fan motor based on the temperature. 20.The method of claim 18, wherein the information comprises RevolutionsPer Minute (RPM) information for determining the operation level of theelectric fan motor based on the temperature.